Website Development Tools
Resources
Welcome to our Resources page! Here, you’ll find a curated selection of tools, articles, guides, and templates designed to support you at every stage of your website journey. Whether you’re starting from scratch, looking to improve your current website, or seeking to enhance your digital presence, this page is packed with valuable insights and resources.
What services we use
We use a number of services when making websites, hosting them, designing, optimising and more. Below is a list of what we use as well as what they do.
WordPress
WordPress is one of the main tools we use to make websites. It’s an open-source CMS (content management system), which means you can create pages and posts. It has an admin panel and a front end for users. It’s basically everything you need to make a great website. It comes with thousands of plugins and themes. Plugins are add-ons, sometimes free, sometimes paid, that give WordPress extra functionality; for example, WP Forms allows you to make contact forms. A theme changes the look and feel of a website. Read more about it here.
Woocommerce
This is the main plugin in WordPress for adding e-commerce functionality to your website. This is a pretty complex plugin, you can add products, categories, payment gateways, shipping options, emails and lots more. There are also many plugins that provide more functionality to WooCommerce.
Elementor
This is a plugin for WordPress, it’s a page builder that allows you to create great-looking websites without needing to code. Anyone can do it. It’s simple, but you can create very complex websites that work on all devices. Read more on the Elementor website here.
Yoast SEO
This WordPress plugin helps you optimise your website for search engines. It’s free but comes with a premium version. It gives you a number of tools to improve your website and optimise your pages for SEO. Read more about it here
LiteSpeed Cache
A vital plugin for any WordPress website, it’s a simple caching plugin. It helps you speed up your website by creating static versions of your pages
Astra Theme
There are tens of thousands of WordPress themes; this is one of the most popular and well-supported. You can change themes as much as you like, but this is a good starting point. It also comes with a Starter Site plugin, which generates a website super quick. Get more info about the Astra theme here.
Contact Form 7
A contact form plugin, this allows you to create all kinds of contact forms with drop-downs, radio buttons, time/dates, file uploads and anything else you might need.
WP Forms
Another contact form plugin, but this one is more user-friendly using drag and drop. With more functionality like allowing payments and better conditional fields. Among other things. Read more here.
Other Tools
Figma
A design tool we use to create websites, mobile apps, logos, branding, brochures, and more. It’s. great because it allows us to collaborate with other designers and our clients to hear feedback. Also, it’s free! Read more here.
Canva
A simple tool with lots of functionality that create logo’s, brochures, leaflets, Instagram Posts, and pretty much anything. A great free tool with lots of free templates. Learn more here.
Shopify
Shopify is an alternative to WordPress, it’s specifically made for E-commerce functionality. It allows user to create a shop easily to sell goods online. It comes with everything you need for a fully functioning store. We often suggest this to clients if they are specifically looking for an online shop. It’s a bit more expensive than WordPress, it has a monthly fee, and many of the Apps (Shopify’s answer to plugins) require a monthly membership.
It’s a great solution for creating a great-looking website quickly for those with little experience in web development.
SEO Tools
We offer SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) as a service for businesses all around the country. SEO is a complex and ever-evolving field, requiring skill and strategy to achieve lasting success. In order get more traffic to a customers website we use a number of tools.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics tracks website traffic and user behavior, offering insights into engagement, demographics, and conversions. It helps businesses optimize content, marketing, and user experience with real-time data and detailed reports.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console monitors search performance, indexing, and technical issues. It helps businesses improve rankings by analyzing search queries, fixing errors, and ensuring mobile usability.
Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner helps businesses find high-performing keywords for SEO and PPC. It provides search volume, competition, and cost insights to optimize ad targeting and content strategy.
SEOptimer
An amazing tool that analyses websites and lets you do keyword research and look at competitors’ keywords and rankings. Keep track of keyword rankings, backlinks and lots more. It’s a very useful tool. Learn more here.
Plugin Blogs
How to make a basic WordPress Plugin
19/02/2025
How to make a multi step form on WordPress
08/12/2021
WordPress Tips and Tricks
Web Development FAQs
When making a website you want to ask yourself, what it’s for first. If you are selling products online, we would recommend using Shopify, if you are looking for a general website for a business then WordPress is probably the best route to take. We have a blog post on “The Cheapest way to make a website” which should help you!
Another blog you may find useful is “How much does Web Design in Kent cost?”
For a domain name in the UK, consider registrars like 123 Reg, Namecheap, or GoDaddy. Prices can vary, but generally, you can expect to pay around £10 to £15 per year for a .uk domain. You can also find free domain names on some websites.
Be careful not to pay for stuff you don’t need like Domain Protection, email accounts and hosting (if you are hosting else where).
Key features for a small business website include a clear and attractive design, easy navigation, contact information, product/service descriptions, a call-to-action, mobile responsiveness, and basic SEO optimization. Additionally, features like customer reviews, social media integration, and a secure checkout for e-commerce sites can enhance the user experience.
For hosting in the UK, consider reputable providers like 123 Reg, SiteGround, or UKHost4u. Prices range, but for shared hosting, you can expect to pay around £3 to £10 per month. Choose a plan that suits your website’s requirements and prioritize providers with good customer support and reliability.
You can create a good-looking website without a hefty budget by using website builders like Wix, Weebly, or Squarespace. These platforms offer user-friendly interfaces, pre-designed templates, and drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to customize your site without the need for coding skills. Additionally, explore free or affordable stock images for visual appeal, and focus on creating compelling content to engage visitors.
Choose a relevant, simple, and memorable domain that reflects your brand, avoids hyphens and numbers, includes keywords if possible, and is available with a common extension like .com.
Of course we are a little bias on this question but below is our honest answer.
The decision between hiring a web developer or using a website builder depends on your specific needs and technical expertise.
Hiring a Web Developer:
- Pros: Offers customization and a unique design tailored to your business.
- Cons: Generally higher upfront costs and ongoing maintenance may require technical assistance.
Using a Website Builder:
- Pros: User-friendly, cost-effective, and quicker to set up. No coding skills needed.
- Cons: Limited customization compared to a custom-built website.
Consider your budget, the level of customization you require, and your comfort with technology before making a decision.